Eustrabirbeonne: Well, Henri Troyat is no Tolstoy of course, and he did not pretend he was : he described himself as a mere "storyteller". Yet some of his fiction is real good, and this "cycle" is certainly his best. And of course, Russian-born Lev Aslanovich Tarasov had in mind the never-written sequel to "War and Peace" about the Decembrist uprising, which Tolstoy initiates in the final chapters of "War and Peace" with his hints at Pierre's active participation in a "society". Would Natasha, already a mother of four in 1820, have left her children behind to follow Pierre in Siberia, as other convicts' wives did?… (more)

There are almost 300 reviews of War & Peace here. I'm not sure that the world needs another review, but there' a review inside me that needs to be written.

Yes, this is probably the best novel ever written. All other epic novels pale in comparison with War & Peace. Yes, it has a lot of obstacles that make this a difficult read. It is very long, and has a lot of characters, and is told on a background of Russian history that may be very familiar to Russians, but are probably completely unknown to most other readers. And the novel seems to run out of energy at the end. I'm not sure the last eighth of the novel was necessary.

In spite of all this, this has got to be the most engrossing and engaging novel of all time, with some of the most memorable characters.

Woody Allen once joking said he took a speed-reading course and he read War & Peace in 20 minutes: it was about Russia. The joke of course is, yes, that about sums it up: this book is about Russia. But it is also about humanity and all the pain and joy of living.

Some say there are over 500 characters you have to keep track of. That might be true, but there are really only 3 main characters that are the focus of the book. Pierre Bezukhov is one of the two main male characters. Pierre is large, overweight, and a dork. A man with a good heart, he is the kind of man you shy away from at parties. If he were alive today, he would be living in his grandmother's basement with his computers and a large collection of science-fiction.

Andre Bolkonsky is the opposite of Pierre: Tall, handsome, athletic, and intelligent, the perfect male. Andre's only problem is that he clearly sees man's shallowness.

It was not clear to me exactly how old these two, but I would say they are in their early 30's. They are long time friends, but when the book opens, they have not seen each other in some time. I sometimes wonder if Pierre and Andre are not just two sides of Tolstoy: Andre as the person he would like to be, and Pierre as the person he is afraid he actually is. Perhaps they are those two sides of me.

The main female character is the unforgettable Natasha Rostov. Only 14 when the book starts, she is Tolstoy's and my perfect female. I must confess I saw two film versions before I read the book, and so, to me Natasha Rostov and Audrey Hepburn are one and the same.

The story concerns these individuals, their families, friends and acquaintances against the Napoleonic invasion of Russia in the early 1800's. Primarily we follow Natasha as she grows up experiencing her first love and then the various suitors who pursue her over the course of the book. We, the reader, get a God's eye view of this period as some character in the book is always at each important historical event.

I would recommend that the best way to enjoy this book is to get a copy the 1973 BBC mini-series, watch about 30 minutes, and then read that portion of the novel, watch some more, then read some more. This will help you get a good grounding on all the unfamiliar Russian names and thus help you keep the characters straight. ( )

Long. Very, very long. Normally that doesn't throw me off - two of my favorite books are The Count of Monte Cristo and Les Miserables, but unlike the French masters, Tolstoy falls flat in his attempts to get me to connect with any of the characters. The plot is fascinating, but it's cluttered by too many intrusive characters that add little to the story. ( )

It's known that it took Tolstoy six years to write War and Peace. It took me almost two years to read it - not because I didn't enjoy it, but just the way my reading time was used. I liked this book. Its many characters were interesting, diverse, intertwined in many cases, and individual. Tolstoy did a great job of making each one different from the others. There was no way I could keep remembering who every person was or how one connected with another, but I didn't mind that. It was interesting and I'm glad I read it. ( )

This review is from: War and Peace (Wordsworth Classics) (Paperback)Other reviewers have said it all but I would just add this; you know when you've been watching a really brilliant TV series and it finally comes to an end and you find you actually miss the characters - well that's how it is when you at last complete this book (and it is a mammoth undertaking!) The people in the story are so well drawn you feel you know them as friends. As a female reader, I wondered whether I'd only enjoy the sections on family life, and would find the sections on the war that are interspersed rather dull. This was not the case at all, the whole thing just transports you.DO give it a go, stick with it, as the beginning with all its alien characters with unpronouncable names can make you think it's an impossible read. I promise you it isn't. ( )

An epic story of the early nineteenth century Russia spanning the period from 1805 to 1820 that centres on Napoleon’s invasion and capture of Moscow and the subsequent retreat and eventual defeat of is army. Tolstoy graphically describes the horrors of the battles and throughout expresses great compassion for the soldiers who had to fight and who had the least influence over the events that shaped their lives, contrasting this with the remoteness of their leaders from the suffering.Tolstoy also lays bare the upper reaches of Russia society of the period and how their infatuation with the seemingly superior French civilisation was met with disbelief with Napoleon’s invasion.Intertwined are reflections on leadership and examination of the methodology of history writing. The latter seems somewhat out of place in the novel, but overall does not detract from what is an extraordinary and great novel.

[Note: This review refers mainly to the Pevear-Volokhonsky translation in comparison to other translations.]

The Russian language is the real hero of Tolstoy’s masterpiece; it is his voice of truth. The English-speaking world is indebted to these two magnificent translators, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, for revealing more of its hidden riches than any who have tried to translate the book before.

In the first case it was necessary to renounce the consciousness of an unreal immobility in space and to recognize a motion we did not feel; in the present case it is similarly necessary to renounce a freedom that does not exist, and to recognize a dependence of which we are not conscious.

From Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, the best-selling, award-winning translators of Anna Karenina and The Brothers Karamazov, comes a brilliant, engaging, and eminently readable translation of Leo Tolstoy’s master epic.

War and Peace centers broadly on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and follows three of the best-known characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfillment; Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who leaves behind his family to fight in the war against Napoleon; and Natasha Rostov, the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman, who intrigues both men. As Napoleon’s army invades, Tolstoy vividly follows characters from diverse backgrounds—peasants and nobility, civilians and soldiers—as they struggle with the problems unique to their era, their history, and their culture. And as the novel progresses, these characters transcend their specificity, becoming some of the most moving—and human—figures in world literature.

Pevear and Volokhonsky have brought us this classic novel in a translation remarkable for its fidelity to Tolstoy’s style and cadence and for its energetic, accessible prose. With stunning grace and precision, this new version of War and Peace is set to become the definitive English edition.

From Pevear and Volokhonsky, the bestselling, award-winning translators of "Anna Karenina" and "The Brothers Karamazov," comes a brilliant, engaging, and eminently readable translation of Tolstoy's master epic.